Ebert Defends the Reader

Some critics are saying that this was not a great year for film and reference their disapproval of some of the 5 Oscar nominated films to support their argument.

In the last few years there has been some dissent against the Oscar Best Picture nominations or Oscar winner. A huge uproar occurred when Crash came from behind to beat out Brokeback Mountain. In my mind Crash was the best picture. I'm prejudiced though as I predicted it to win as soon as I saw it at the Toronto Film Festival that year.

Last year Juno was unfairly dismissed as not worthy due to its lighter comedic tone as compared to the heavy hitters No Country for Old Men and There Will Be Blood. Dramatic comedies get no respect. We have to go all the way back to 1960 and Billy Wilder's wonderful The Apartment to find a Best Pic winner that is classed as a comedy (in this case a dark dramatic comedy - All out comedies will almost certainly never win a Best Pic Oscar).

This year quite a few critics are upset that Wall-E and especially The Dark Knight were omitted from the list of Oscar Best Pic nominations. The two films that get the most heat for being on the list are The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and The Reader.

Here's a fine article by Roger Ebert on The Reader with many interesting side discussions. The article again shows why Ebert won a Pulitzer Prize for his film critiques. NOTE: Beware if you have not seen the film. The article concludes with significant spoilers so you may want to stop when Ebert indicates the spoilers follow and catch the movie before continuing. There is still plenty to read up to that point.

Ebert's article supporting The Reader

In my opinion, Kate Winslet will win best actress this year for her amazing performance in The Reader. She is a phenomenal actress and this is already her sixth nomination (she has yet to win). She is ahead of the pace set by the marvellous Meryl Streep who received her fifteenth nomination this year. Winslet was also superb in Revolutionary Road in 2008 and many predicted that she would be nominated for best actress for that film and also receive a supporting nomination in The Reader. Her performance in the latter film was a lead performance though and she was nominated in the proper category but that precluded her from that strong possibility of receiving two nominations.

Go Kate!

Julian D.

NY Times Multimedia Feature on Great Performances

Every year at Oscar time, the NY Times has an extensive feature on Great Performances from the past year. This year they've offered a multi-media presentation which includes evocative photographs by Paolo Pellegrin, informative and personal audio commentary by Lynn Hirschberg and wonderful supplementary articles from interesting Americans who have had personal connections with the actors profiled.

To view the Presentation click here.

Click on each performer and then click on Play Commentary to begin the presentation. You then have the option to click on the article to read it. Make sure to click on the Next tab on the right side of the screen to see each photograph.

Julian D.

Charlie Rose Listens

Charlie Rose is one of the best interviewers on television. Not only because he writes good copy and asks interesting and probing questions but also because he then listens allowing the interviewee to speak.

Around Oscar time Charlie interviews leading candidates. His website is filled with his excellent interviews from past and present. Recently he interviewed critics David Denby of the New Yorker and A. O. Scott of the New York Times right after the Oscar nominations were announced.

Here is the Scott/Denby interview.

Check the article on Sean Penn in Milk on this blog for the interview with Gus Van Sant, Sean Penn and others from the cast and crew of Milk.

And do not miss this interview with Mickey Rourke. What a turn-a-round for Mickey Rourke as an actor and as a person. A very different side of him from the side the media has been portraying based on some of his so-called faux-pas during his acceptance speeches.

Interview with Rourke

Julian D.

Kristin Scott Thomas Astounds in I've Loved You So Long

I've Loved You So Long was the directorial debut for author / screenwriter Philippe Claudel. Claudel spent 11 years teaching in prisons in his early adult years and the characterizations in the film grew out of his experiences during that time. The cinematography, which focused on numerous closeups, highlighted Claudel's desire to show in Kristin Scott Thomas' face that she was, in a sense, still imprisoned. In Claudel's words to Kristin, "I want to destroy your beauty, to compose with you, the real character of Juliette, to read 15 years of prison with your face."

The performances of Kristin Scott Thomas and Elsa Zylberstein, as two sisters reconnecting after a lengthy separation, were outstanding and those of the supporting cast, especially Lise Ségur as the curious and gregarious older daughter, were also very strong. Kristin Scott Thomas has lived in France for 25 years, is fluent in French, and has recently made a number of films there but this was her first leading role in French. Out of respect for Kristen's creative acting ability, Claudel allowed her to decide how she would act each scene giving her complete freedom on each first take. The result: one of the best performances of the year.

The music was sensitive and emotive and highlighted by the recurring song A La Clair Fontaine. The title of the film was taken from a line in this song. This song also featured prominently in a previous film of ours - The Painted Veil. (Thanks to one of our members for noting this).

Here is a link to this beautiful song from The Painted Veil.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iFOliIVUXHw&feature=related

Ultimately I've Loved You So Long is a poignant story of sisterly love, compassion, forgiveness and healing. One of the best pictures of 2008.

Interview with writer/director Phillipe Claudel

Interview with Kristin Scott Thomas

Julian D.

Sean Penn Embodies Harvey Milk

Milk, directed by the accomplished American indie director Gus Van Sant, stars Sean Penn in the eponymus role and chronicles the political rise and subsequent death of Harvey Milk in the tumultuous 70’s. Harvey Milk was the first openly gay elected public official in the U.S. serving for just one year as supervisor in the San Francisco area. The story is quite factual and the performances especially by Sean Penn and those who portrayed Milk's aides are exceptional. Penn embodies the Milk character so perfectly that you quickly forget that a major star is on the screen acting a role and get caught up in the riveting story. The casting director did a superb job of finding look-a-like actors for all the major roles

Sean Penn demanded they shoot in San Francisco and they eventually shot on location on Castro Street and even in Milk's original camera shop where the art producers recreated its look and feel from the 70s.

Director Gus Van Sant had a special connection with the Harvey Milk murder as he himself came out of the closet after Milk was killed. Van Sant, like many others, was influenced by Milk's political fervor and moved by his comment that “If a bullet enters my head may it also knock down all the closet doors.”

Dustin Lance Black, the screenwriter, is from San Antonio and on reading about Milk's life was moved to write the biographical screenplay. Ironically Milk had also said "There's a kid out there in San Antonio who's going to hear my story and it's going to give him hope." Black, did not have rights to any of the previous biographies, and so spoke to many friends and foes of Harvey Milk to try and capture the real human story. In particular, Cleve Jones, Danny Nicoletta and Anne Kronenberg, who were part of Milk's entourage, contributed tremendous detail.

Originally, around 1992, Oliver Stone was going to do the film with Robin Williams in the lead but when that fell through Rob Epstein, the director of a documentary on Milk, suggested to Van Sant that he take it on; Van Sant approached Warner Bros and entered the project.

Van Sant changed the focus of the film from 'Why did Dan White shoot Milk and the mayor?' to 'Who was Milk and what did he die for?' Initally Tom Cruise, Brad Pitt and Matt Damon were all considered for the Dan White role which Josh Brolin eventually played.

Deservedly, Milk is nominated for eight Oscars and though it will not likely win best picture or best director it has an even chance of winning best actor or best original screenplay. A great biopic and a must-see film.

Video Interview with Gus Van Sant

Interview with the screenwriter Dustin Lance Black

55 minute interview session with Charlie Rose

Julian D.

Frost/Nixon

Frost/Nixon is a riveting film anchored by two outstanding performances from Frank Langella (Nixon) and Michael Sheen (Frost). They reprise their roles from the award-winning stage production of the same name. Both the play and the film were written by Peter Morgan who continues his amazing writer's streak of award-winning works (The Last King of Scotland, The Queen and Momfort) briefly spoiled by The Last Boleyn Girl. Ron Howard beat out Martin Scorsese, George Clooney, Sam Mendes, Bennett Miller and Mike Nichols for a seat in the director's chair. Frost/Nixon has received overwhelmingly positive reviews and garnered five prestigious Oscar nominations including Best Picture, Best Director (Howard), Best Actor (Langella) and Best Screenplay (Morgan). Langella won the Tony on Broadway for his stage performance and he is outstanding here once again. As of today, Frost/Nixon has only made $14 million of its $35 million budget back, but its jump to 1100 theatres from 150 after its Oscar nominations should correct that.

Ron Howard deftly directs in a documentary style complete with talking heads and the superb screenplay maintains the tension throughout nicely softened by many moments of humour. The supporting cast is uniformly fine with notable performances by Matthew Macfadyen, Oliver Platt and Sam Rockwell as Frost's producer and lead investigators and a campy take on Nixon's uber agent Swifty Lazar by a bald Toby Jones (Was Sylvester Stallone his voice coach?). Rebecca Hall (Vicky Christina Barcelona) plays Caroline Cushing, based on actress Carol Lynley who had an 18 year on-off relationship with Frost, and adds a female connection to Frost's motivating forces.

Though I really liked this movie and recommend it, I continue to have a problem with Morgan's screenplays and Howard's direction when it come to historical dramas. Too much drama and not enough history. Frost/Nixon continues this modification of historical fact though not anywhere as flagrantly as in Howard's A Beautiful Mind. First and foremost, the interviews were a colloborative business arrangement where Nixon received $600 000 up front (stated in the movie) but also 20% of all profits (left out) and thus not the David/Goliath battle that the screenplay implies. Though the probing opening question "Why didn't you burn the tapes?" in the interview was as stated, Nixon's answer was remarkedly different than in the screenplay. In many important moments in the film, Nixon's comments are remanufactured to create a different and deeper tension and poignancy. This is seen most specifically in his supposed admittance of guilt for a criminal offence and his apology to the American people . The crutial phone call that provides the impetus for Frost's final 'surge' and victory did not occur and is a reminder of the crutial scene in The Queen when Queen Elizabeth spies the majestic stag and sheds her only tear. Furthermore Peter Morgan seems to want to make a connection between Nixon's failings and G.W. Bush's failings and so takes license with the dialogue to bring this 1970's story into today's mindset.

When a historical drama is remanufactured for audiences, I wish that there was a disclaimer, at least in the credits, that dramatic license has been taken with the facts to enhance the story. After all, what worries me is that what is seen on the screen will for many viewers automatically become reality. Ironically when I do go back and read what really happened I find that these historical dramas are extremely prowerful in their true setting and do not really need a major overhaul.

For more details visit:

Peter Morgan Interview

Dishonourable Distortion of History

Why Didn't Nixon Burn the Tapes


Julian D.

Slumdog Millionaire Takes the Lead

With its win as best ensemble at the SAG awards and Best Picture at the Producers awards as well as many many other awards, Slumdog Millionaire is the odds on favourite to take the best picture Oscar. The fact that it is deserving of the award only adds to that possibility. Of course we all knew as far back as September of '08 when Slumdog Millionaire won the People's Choice Award at the Toronto International Film Festival that this would be happening now (nudge nudge wink wink).

Director Danny Boyle, who should also win the Best Director Oscar, along with co-director Loveleen Tandan, created a stunning visual feast for the eyes and an emotional story for the heart based on the award-winning novel, Q & A, by Vikas Swarup. Loveleen Tandan, who cast and co-directed Monsoon Wedding, must certainly get much credit for the look of the film and for the marvellous casting. The fact that three different actors play each of the three key characters and yet the picture flows seamlessly through the changes is a tribute to the casting director and the co-directors. Danny Boyle placed the money to be paid to the 3 lead child actors in a trust that is to be released to them upon their completion of grade school at 16 years of age. The production company has set up for an auto-rikshaw driver to take the kids to school everyday until they are 16 years old.

Danny Boyle's reputation grows with every film he's done. He thrives in not repeating genres as judged by his exceptional filmography which includes: Shallow Grave, Trainspotting, 28 Days Later, Millions, and Sunshine. Slumdog Millionaire has garnered numerous awards worldwide along with 10 Academy Award nominations including Best Picture, Best Director (Boyle), Best Screenplay (Simon Beaufoy), Best Cinematography (Anthony Dod Mantle), Best Editing (Chris Dickens) and three music nominations around A.R. Rahman's score and songs. Despite the fact that there were no oscar nominations for acting, the performances all-round are marvellous. The cinematography and editing capture both the grand scope and desolation of the poverty in India and frenetic pace of the stories that thread together to form the beautiful narrative.

Fox Searchlight is without a doubt one of the best marketers of independent films. They have taken a film that many would have and did bet against succeeding, and kept it in the theatres for 11 weeks to date. They have gradually allowed it to grow from its opening in 10 theatres to its current run in 1400 theatres and gross $60 million dollars domestically from its $15 million budget. It should easily pass $100 million before its run ends. Major distributors use the opposite logic with blockbusters opening in 3000+ theatres. Most blockbusters' revenue drops 50% - 60% after the first week and after five to six weeks in the theatres have in essence exhausted their run. Box Office Mojo is a good place to observe this phenomenon. As an example High School Musical Three opened in 3600 theatres grossing $44 million the first weekend. By the sixth week it was still in 1300 theatres but only grossed $1 million. The well was running dry as its cumulative gross was $89 million and though it remained in theatres for another dozen weeks or so it peaked in the $92 million dollar range.

We are fortunate that Fox Searchlight took the reins and helped to make Slumdog Millionaire the winner it deserves to be. Now all you need to do is go and see it. It demands to be seen on the big screen.

Interview with Danny Boyle

Julian D.